


The (Platonic) Arrangement

by livsackler



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Absent Parents, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Character Development, Childhood Trauma, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friends with platonic benefits, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:35:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26197957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livsackler/pseuds/livsackler
Summary: It's always nice to have someone there for you. And cuddling is great. So they make an arrangement.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	The (Platonic) Arrangement

**Author's Note:**

> Been writing a bunch of drabbles for weeks with concept of a platonic relationship hovering over my head but had trouble figuring out the full plot. 
> 
> This is gonna be a chill fic and an easy read but it will lightly touch on contents regarding absent parents and childhood trauma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “It’s hard. I’ve forgiven them for everything, but it’s so hard to be around them.”
> 
> “You don’t have to rebuild relationships with everyone you’ve forgiven, even if they’re your parents.” 

Rey yawns audibly and removes the arm around her torso. She tilts her head to look at the digital clock on the bedside table, it’s only 9 a.m. And it’s a Sunday, for goodness sake. Who could it be?

She doesn’t remember ordering anything online but maybe he did. 

“Baby,” she whispers, her voice hoarse, as she shakes his ribs lightly. “Wake up, there’s someone at the door.”

He lets out a soft grunt and wraps his arms around her even tighter.

“Stop,” she whines, struggling to wiggle out of his grasp. His body warmth and firm grip around her makes it a difficult reason to even get out of bed. But she does anyway. It could be important

Dragging her weary body out of bed, she slips her feet into her fluffy cream-coloured bedroom slippers. As long as she’s wearing them, it always feels like she’s walking on clouds.

She trudges down the hallway towards the main door. Sometimes she detests how big the apartment is, making her way from one point to another is too much effort. She’s got a severe case of lazy bones. The doorbell rings again.

“Coming!” She yells out and quickens her pace. “Not everyone has can be energetic in the morning,” she mutters under her breath. With the electronic door lock, all she needs to do is pull the door handle towards her and it automatically unlocks.

She sees a (somewhat) old but kind-looking lady standing in front of her. Rey rubs both her eyes with her index fingers to see with better clarity, she’s still groggy from too much wine last night.

“Hi, you are?” Rey asks.

“I must’ve gotten the wrong address,” she speaks gently and calmly and gives her a warm smile. She draws out her phone from her handbag perhaps to check the address that she’s supposed to go to. 

“Who is it, sweetheart?” A voice calls out from the bedroom, his muffled footsteps getting louder by the second.

“It’s alright baby, just someone who got the wrong address–”

“Mom?” His voice booming and filled with astonishment. “What… what are you doing here?”

Rey turns to look at him, at his mom and back at him again. She knows him well enough to sense his growing discomfort despite the space between them. That’s his mom.

“Ben, is this a bad time?” The lady at the door asks nervously.

Before he can say anything, Rey jumps in. “No, no, not at all. Leia, right? Come in.” Rey gives Leia a radiant smile and leads her to the sofa in the sitting room.

“Ben, you never told me you had a girlfriend,” Leia smiles and takes a good look at Rey from head to toe. She seems young, vibrant and full of energy – the complete opposite of him. He takes a big gulp. Leia appears nonchalant about the fact that one, he has a girlfriend, two, he has hidden this from her. Guess nothing fazes her anymore.

Standing glued to the centre of the living room trying to absorb all that’s happening right now, he runs his fingers through his long, dark, dishevelled hair. Her appearance is unexpected. And for her to see Rey, wearing _that_?

He turns his focus to his Rey wearing a pair of fluffy slippers and one of his oversized shirts with probably nothing underneath, there are so many questions he cannot answer.

“Rey?” He puts a thumb to his lower lip, in deep thought. “A word with you in the room, please?” He says coolly and heads down the hallway, while Rey gives Leia a shy wave goodbye before skipping off.

“What’s up?” She asks animatedly, unaware of the consequence of his mother’s surprise visit. She sits at the end of their messy, unpacked bed, and picks up his hand by his side to carelessly toys with his fingers.

He looks at her dumbfounded. “My mother is here.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And she just saw a stranger in my apartment.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And she’s heard us use pet names on each other and you’re wearing nothing but my shirt.”

The fidgeting stops. Meaning to say that she _finally_ gets it.

“Right, right. And she doesn’t know that you have a girlfriend.” She hastily stands up and stares up at him through her eyelashes, eyes big and bright, putting him into a light trance.

He quickly snaps out of it and looks away, clearing his throat. “And I don’t have a girlfriend.”

She shrugs. “Then just tell her that I am.”

* * *

The first thing she sees when she steps into the bar is _him_ , sitting next to her favourite seat. She weighs the pros and cons. She likes her favourite seat far too much to sit elsewhere just because a big man in a white crewneck t-shirt and dark denim jeans sitting next to it.

The rest of the seats by the bar counter stays empty, yet, he notices a lady slip into the seat right next to him. He raises an eyebrow in surprise but keeps that facial expression to himself. The last thing he wants is to offend a stranger. He gives her an acknowledgement nod of hello and she gives one back. They sit there in silence for the rest of the night until she finishes her one and only drink and heads off. He wished he had the chance to bid her goodbye.

For some reason, he finds himself back at the same bar a week later. He’s somewhat new to the area, he should be visiting other places, but his legs subconsciously bring him back here. He recognises her shoulder-length brunette hair in the dim lighting and sits beside her. Just like the last time. He blames it on his longing feeling and comfort of sitting beside someone without bickering.

"Fancy seeing you again,” she smirks. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he replies, giving her a gentle smile. “You come here often?”

“Yea.”

Their conversation doesn’t go any further. As usual, she orders just one glass. They drink their drinks in silence, and occasionally, he sees her nodding to the beat of the music.

Once she’s done and ready to head out, she jumps off the bar seat. He turns her gaze to him, giving a good look at his face for the first time. Dark, almost jet black wavy hair that falls to his pale jawline, facial hair – a moustache and goatee – giving him a scruffy exterior and a long aquiline nose. He looks exhausted.

She thinks that she would’ve been afraid to approach him had he not spoken to her in the gentlest manner.

He takes this opportunity to admire her beautifully freckled face too. It complements her tan skin perfectly.

“It was nice meeting you.”

“Likewise,” she replies before sashaying away.

Ben makes it his new “thing” to visit the bar every Friday night. Dinner plans with his parents? Cancelled. Last-minute meetings? No way. Work events? Abso-fucking-lutely not. He’s got better things to do than any of those and he’s glad that he has a legitimate excuse now.

His colleague (but really, friend), Hux, is growingly suspicious of his busy Friday nights but lets him be. Ben has always been a closed-off person.

He convinces himself for the last time that he’s not creepy for keeping count and that this is his sixth Friday evening at the bar. He’s running a little late, but he manages to catch her in the same seat again.

“What brings you here? I’ve been seeing you an awful lot lately.”

Ben is startled by her voice. He didn’t think he’ll get this far and actually have a conversation with her. He takes a glimpse of the stranger sitting next to him and turns his gaze back to the glass of alcohol in his hand. He can barely see her face with her chestnut hair covering the side of it.

He’s hesitant and swirls the whiskey. “Work, people,” he pauses, “my parents.”

She smirks. “Parents, am I right?”

“Yeah,” he mutters. “Are your folks difficult too?”

“Nah, I don’t have any. And don’t say you’re sorry to hear that, we all experience different things.” 

“Right, I’m sorry…wait.” His eyes widen, realising that he just blurted out what she does not want him to say. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to… Argh. Never mind.”

She chuckles, watching him fumble over his words. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Not right now. Maybe after a few more of these,” he says, and finish the rest of his drink in one gulp. “Can I get you anything?”

She shakes her head. Ben orders two more glasses, an estimate before he is ready to talk about anything related to his parents. 

The conversations continue until she finishes her drink.

“You’re leaving already?”

“I only stay for just a drink, thought you’d notice,” she smirks.

“Will I see you again?”

“Likely.”

And he watches her leave the bar. He wants to talk to her again. And for the first time, he thought that he might have been ready to talk to about his parents, albeit to a stranger.

Perhaps this is a breakthrough.

So he comes back the next Friday, same time. 

* * *

Rey is intrigued by him, but she wants to keep any conversation she has at the bar casual. By far, he is the most respectful one.

He steps in to see her at the bar again, at her designated seat, her glass half full. He makes a mental note to drop by earlier next week. 

He slips into the seat beside her. She looks to her left, unperturbed by his presence. 

“You come here often?” He asks. He reckons that he should initiate the conversation this time. “Shouldn’t you be out partying on a night like this?”

“A regular. And I’m not so much of a party type. It’s peaceful here.” She is nonchalant and doesn’t give him more attention than she did last week.

He nods in agreement. The bar ambience is impeccable, and the crowd is lovely as well. Light chattering and soft indie music echoes in the background, nothing too overwhelming. He can see why she likes this place.

“Do you wanna, talk about it? About whatever you were troubled about last week?” She asks.

Ben is taken by surprise. Did she remember?

She did. In fact, she’s been thinking of an appropriate way to bring it up the entire week without coming across as nosy.

She patiently waits for him to find the right words.

“I moved here, for them. It felt like the right thing to do, y’know?” He takes a sip of his drink. “But I don’t think they appreciate the gesture that much, or at least they don’t show that they appreciate me enough.” 

“Do you want to be around them?” She prompts.

It’s like she knows all the right questions to ask to unravel him.

Ben is a private person, but there is something about her accent, or maybe the way she strings her words that make him want to open up and tell him about her. Or maybe it is because she is so upfront about the absence of parents in her life the first time round that makes him want to trust her. 

“It’s hard." He says. "I’ve forgiven them for everything, but it’s so hard to be around them.”

“You don’t have to rebuild relationships with everyone you’ve forgiven, even if they’re your parents.” 

He smirks. She steals this opportunity to admire his dimples, and the way his luscious waves that frame his face perfectly. He looks to be in his late twenties, but probably early thirties.

“Has anyone told you that you’re a lot wiser than your age?” He asks.

She rolls her eyes playfully. “Sometimes.”

Their eyes meet and it feels like she is giving him permission to take a good look at her. He did not get the chance to last few times. Her hazel-green eyes sparkle under the bar spotlight, staring right back at him. She has a light sprinkling of freckles on her nose and under her eyes. She’s breath-taking.

_And she’s too young for you_ , he tells himself.

“How old are you?” He pauses. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable with it.”

“I’m 23. You?”

“33.”

“Huh,” she smiles. 

“A perfect decade apart.” 

“Does it bother you that I’m so much older?” He asks.

“No, I think it’s somewhat comforting.”

“What does that mean?” He asks.

“I think it’s comforting that we are in different phases of our lives but still able to strike up pleasant conversations at ease.”

“Hmm, I never thought of it that way,” he says and gives her a warm smile.

“I’m not interested in dating, or hooks ups, by the way. I just want to put it out there and not waste your time, if that’s what you’re after.”

“I’m… I don’t do relationships. And I don't want the latter either. I think I find myself coming back here, and maybe to you, because I, too, find comfort in talking to someone who doesn’t judge me for who I am or how I feel.”

She pauses to absorb what he has said. She takes a sip from her drink. “You can talk to me.”

“I know.” He turns his body on the seat to face her. She side-eyes him. “I want to keep knowing you. No relationships, no hook-ups. I just want to be your friend. I want to keep talking to you. Not just every time we’re here but outside of here.”

She raises an eyebrow. Huh.

“But why me?” She asks and his gaze burns her flushed cheeks.

“Don’t be afraid. I feel it too.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!!!! lemme know what you think and leave some kudos too hehe


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